> If you really want to talk about people who have a selfish and entitled attitude, you should probably look more closely at Americans who think that they deserve a life of prosperity simply because they were born in the right part of the world, and that immigrants who risk their lives to come here deserve to be thrown out. People all throughout history have broken laws which are meant to keep one group in poverty and another group wealthy, and with time they're almost always looked upon as having done the noble thing*.

Does that carry over to laws which allow people to own property, transfer it to others, trade it for other property, and inherit it? Isn't it a selfish and entitled attitude to presume that one person deserves wealth simply because they were born to the right people? Inheritance allows one group of people (related by blood) to stay very wealthy, so should we view as noble those who steal from the rich, breaking the laws which keep wealthy people well off from generation to generation? I don't mean people pressing for changes in taxation laws -- I mean people who feel they're justified in just outright taking something from someone they feel is better off.

If someone migrates into my backyard without my consent, to take some apples from my trees, is it selfish to insist that he be thrown out? Who am I to own those apple trees, anyway? Hey, he risked his life getting past my electric fence and guard dogs! I should feel really sorry for him, now!